Azerbaijan, Baku, July 13, Trend M. Aliyev /
Opposition parties will never be able to make concessions on the issue of a single candidate for president, deputy executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Siyavush Novruzov said in an interview posted on the official party's website on Friday.
"The opposition will fail to make concessions to each other," he said. "Everyone considers himself as a contender. However, they do not know that there is nobody behind them. These people cannot lead even five people. How can they be candidates for the presidency?"
After becoming a candidate, opposition members are expected to receive funds from abroad, Novruzov said.
He said that the opposition also raised the issue of a single candidate. However, it cannot come to a compromise.
"This hope is unlikely to come true as the external forces do not have confidence in them," he said. "This happened during the visit of the U.S. Secretary of State to Azerbaijan. The chairman of the European Council did not meet with the opposition. This testifies to the fact that senior foreign visitors are also aware of the fact that the opposition in Azerbaijan has no effect and considers it a political corpse. They do not attach importance to the meetings with the leaders of these parties.
"Today, the main function of the opposition camp is to write denunciations of the various media outlets and international organisations. They already know that this camp has no public support and people do not believe them. Therefore, distinguished guests do not consider it necessary to meet with the opposition."
"They always said that they follow the way of Rasulzade and Elchibey," he said. "However on the eve of the presidential elections in 1998, Elchibey asked them to support his candidacy as a single opposition candidate. No one has made concessions. That is despite each of them saying they are Elchibey's pupils."